Perfect Little Glimpses
by Shelley101
Summary: A collection of drabbles, one-shots and short stories all based on the characters of Criminal Minds. Most will focus on Reid because he is a bundle of precious. Prompts taken from r/fanfiction's September daily prompts. All rated between K and T.
1. Power Outage

**A/N:** Prompt from r/fanfiction's September Daily Prompts (Pocket-Sized Dramas). **01/09:** Platonic, romantic, or purely professional, these two characters make an odd couple. How they each respond to an unexpected problem only highlights their differences. (400 words)

* * *

 **Power Outage | Rated K | 400 Words**

"No, no, no!" Garcia frantically tapped at her keyboard and then the room was flooded in darkness. Every monitor had been shut off and Garcia was now holding her head in her hands. Reid, who had stayed late to ask Garcia a few questions about a case he was interested in, didn't seem the least bit phased.

"Power outage," he told her.

"Oh. Really, Reid? Don't you think I noticed that the last hours' worth of my work just shut down in front of me?" she was still trying to get her computer system up and running again.

"You didn't save it?" Reid asked.

"No, I didn't. Because I was too busy helping you with your irrelevant research to prepare for a power cut," Garcia snapped.

"Did you know that 'power cut' is the British English term for this scenario, whilst the most common term used in American English is 'power outage'?" Reid said as he walked to the window and looked out at the streets below. "Seems like it's pretty widespread – it's dark everywhere,"

"I don't care what English people call this!" Garcia said. She pressed the button on her monitor half a dozen times before giving up again. "All my work is gone!"

"Squirrels are actually one of the most common but strange ways that a power outage can happen – they climb up to electrical lines and mess with them, causing chaos and power failures across a few miles of neighbourhood every time," Reid glanced at his phone. "But they can also be caused because of a surge of power – say, at the Superbowl, and everyone's also tuning in to watch it on TV. The sheer amount of power being used all at once causes electrical substations to struggle to keep up and –"

"Reid, you know I love you and your always-relevant fun facts and I don't know how to say this without hurting your adorable little heart but please... zip it," Garcia interrupted.

Reid looked at her. "Sorry," he replied. "But one more thing," Garcia shot him a glare and he stopped talking. He sat next to her instead and pressed the button on one of the monitors. The screen flashed then slowly turned back on. "Wow," Reid smiled. "I fixed it," he looked proud of himself. Garcia turned the rest of the monitors on, nerves etched onto her expression.

"It's all gone," she muttered; deflating.


	2. The Words For Sorry

**02/09:** Someone has a long-overdue apology to make, but it's up to the other person to decide whether they'll accept it or not. (300 words)

* * *

 **The Words For Sorry | 300 Words | Rated K**

On the flight home from Idaho, where they'd just finished a particularly difficult case, the BAU team were all catching up on work, reading or sleep. Derek Morgan was the only one not occupied with something because he was trying to find the words for something he felt he needed to do. He stood, careful not to knock his cup of coffee from the table, and moved to sit next to Reid. "Hey kid," he greeted. Reid had been reading a book about behavioural analysis throughout history, but he marked his page and closed it to give Morgan his full attention.

"Are you alright?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Morgan said. "Listen, I just wanted to... apologise," for some reason, he was finding it hard to bring up the subject.

Reid furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "For what?"

"Everything, really. For... giving you a hard time about your... well, being you," Morgan explained. Reid smiled at him and properly placed his book down. "I don't exactly give you the credit you deserve – we would never have solved that case without you,"

"Morgan, I don't mind when you tease me about how smart I am," the younger man assured him.

"You don't?"

"No. I used to mind when I didn't realise what you were doing," Reid replied. It was Morgan's turn to look confused now. "Garcia told me that when people love each other, they mock them. To show affection," he told him.

Morgan laughed slightly. "I mean..." he began.

Reid opened his book and started to read again. Morgan, taking this as his cue to leave, stood up and went to sit back down with his cup of coffee. "I love you too, Derek," Reid said without looking up from his page. Smiling to himself, Morgan took a sip of coffee.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review, any feedback would be appreciated!


	3. Solitude

**03/09:** Solitude can be a much-needed break or it can be hell. How does your character feel about being alone today? (100 words)

* * *

 **Solitude | 100 words | Rated K**

Reid sat on his couch and breathed a sigh of well-earned relief. Silence. Solitude. Stillness. Perfect. He had spent way too long at Quantico – nearly 4 straight days with stolen naps in spare half hour breaks – and now he was going to enjoy himself. In silence. Although he enjoyed his time at Quantico with his colleagues and friends, Reid loved his time alone. He needed it to relax. Without time alone, he would go crazy.

In his mind, there was a big difference between being alone and loneliness. Reid took a long sip of his hot cocoa and closed his eyes.

Perfect.


	4. Take A Hint

**04/09:** Three's a crowd. There's one too many people in this scene, but the third wheel's not getting it, no matter how many hints the others drop. (300 words)

* * *

 **Take A Hint | 300 words | Rated K**

"Hey," Reid said as Garcia grabbed her fluffy purse out of his hands. He had not yet been cleared for the field since being shot so was instead helping the BAU team from Quantico, and as a result, being very annoying to Garcia, who liked working by herself. He kept touching all her stuff and trying to do stuff on her computers.

"Stop touching. I don't know where your hands have been," she snapped. Reid put his hands in his lap and muttered that they were very clean.

"Did you know that soap causes grease and dirt to be pulled off your hands and suspended in water?" Reid asked her. Garcia rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear him. "Those molecules are then washed off when –"

"Reid."

"Knock, knock," said a male voice from the doorway. Garcia spun around in her chair and grinned.

"Hey, baby doll," she greeted.

"You ready for lunch?" Kevin asked his girlfriend. He held up his sandwich as Garcia showed him her lunch too. He glanced at Reid, who seemed oblivious to the fact that Garcia and Kevin wanted to have lunch together.

"Kevin. Did you know that soap causes dirt to be –" Reid started to ask him.

"Reid, really?" Garcia asked. She smiled at Kevin apologetically. "Why don't you go to the cafeteria and have a lunch break?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine, thanks – I had a big breakfast," he assured her.

"Well, you should get some fresh air," she suggested. "Hobble around on your crutches?" she asked when Reid shook his head at the fresh air suggestion. "Reid," Garcia said desperately. He glanced between her and Kevin, then seemed to realise something.

"Oh. Would you like to sit down?" Reid asked.

"Yes," Garcia sighed gratefully.

"Okay. I'll go get another chair."

* * *

 **A/N:** I thought this prompt was perfect for Reid because he's just the kind of person to not get a hint that people want to be left alone. Plus, I love Garcia and Reid scenes!


	5. The Bakery

**05/09:** Smells can evoke powerful memories. A specific scent takes your character back, and this may or not be a good thing. (200 words)

* * *

 **The Bakery | 200 words | Rated K**

Reid was the first person through the doors of the bakery, and although he knew that someone had just been found murdered there, he couldn't help but smile at the smell of freshly baked bread.

"There wasn't much of a struggle," Prentiss said as the rest of the team entered.

Reid's mind was wandering back to his childhood. His mother used to bake bread on her good days. The days that Spencer would come home and smell bread cooking would be the best days for him – his mom was okay today.

Maybe that meant he wouldn't have to coax her from under her covers, where she would cower and cry. Maybe it meant he wouldn't have to go searching for her in the early hours of the morning because she had wandered off down the block. Maybe it meant that today she would read to him and ask him about his homework and they would talk about Wordsworth and Chaucer and not be reminded of the illness that usually robbed them of an ordinary life.

"You alright, kid?" Morgan asked Reid; bringing him back to the present. Reid glanced up at his team and nodded.

"Just lost in my thoughts."


	6. The Book of Margery Kempe

**06/09:** A character has something in their possession that doesn't belong to them. There's a story behind that, no doubt. (300 words)

* * *

 **The Book of Margery Kempe | 300 words | Rated K**

Reid almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of a crash coming from the other room. Heart beating fast, he crept through to his kitchen – gun poised to shoot, because he'd been jumpy since Tobias Hankel and his multiple personalities had abducted him. Reid let out a sigh of relief when he saw the cause of the noise. A pile of his books had fallen from his kitchen table onto the ground.

He bent down to pick the scattered books up and stopped when he saw a copy of _The Book of Margery Kempe_. Reid smiled to himself, remembering when he had flown his mom from Vegas to Virginia because he thought she was being targeted by The Fisher King.

 _"Why would you have those fascists arrest me?_ " Reid's mom hated flying and was angry that he had flown her to him.

 _"I'm just trying to protect you."_

" _By forcing me to do the one thing that frightens me more than anything?"_ His mom had been allowed to take a book with her on the plane and she'd chosen Kempe's book. But, distracted by her later anxiety of getting back to Vegas, she must have left her copy behind. He knew it was his mom's copy, not his because the pages were yellowing. And, if he was remembering correctly... Reid flicked the cover page open and traced the words written so carefully on the blank page.

 _She would have killed herself many a time as they stirred her to_.

It was a quote from the book, Reid recognised it, thanks to his eidetic memory. It was his mom's favourite quote – she always used to say it to him when he was growing up.

Reid sighed and closed the book. At least now he had a reason to visit.


	7. Bullet Wound

**07/09:** Ouch! Whether they've suffered a skinned knee or a more serious injury, this character could use a little help from a friend or partner right about now. (500 words)

* * *

 **Bullet Wound | 500 words | Rated K**

"Go to your son," Reid said. "Go. I'm good, I'm fine." He did not want to keep Dr Barton away from his son when he knew that he would be fine. Anyway, he could see Rossi and JJ getting out of a car.

"Okay," Dr Barton replied. He rushed over to his son and made sure he was okay.

The next 10 minutes went by in a blur for Reid. He managed to stay conscious long enough to let them know something bad had happened to Hotch and that Emily was with him at the hospital and he managed to tell them that he had been shot in the leg. He attempted to sit up – to see how the unsub was – but was stopped by Rossi. "I had to shoot him. He was going to shoot."

"We know," JJ assured him.

"Lay still. The medics will be here in a second," Rossi told him. Reid pushed himself up; pain etched onto his face. "Stay with him, JJ. Make sure he doesn't move." Rossi wanted to go and call Emily to find out what had happened to Hotch.

"Spence?" JJ said. She put her hand on his cheek.

"JJ, I'm fine."

Reid pushed her hand away and went to move closer to the unsub. "Stay still, Reid," JJ ordered. She bent down next to him and held his hand. Instead of pushing her away again, Reid squeezed her hand, grateful for the company. The adrenaline he had had from shooting Meyers had almost entirely evaporated and the pain from being shot was starting to overwhelm him.

"JJ, Hotch..." Reid mumbled. He clutched his head with his spare hand, wishing his leg would stop hurting and his head would stop pounding long enough for him to think straight.

"Hotch will be fine. He's with Emily," JJ assured him quietly. She smiled at Reid, who attempted to smile back. Finally, Reid let the pain win him over and lay on the ground. JJ held his clammy hand and got more comfortable next to him. She lifted his head and rested it on her lap. "You're gonna be alright, Spence," she mumbled. Reid's eyes started to close and his face had become a lot paler since JJ had arrived. "We need a medic over here."

JJ was worried that Reid's injury had already caused him to lose too much blood. But Reid seemingly knew what she was thinking because he mumbled: "I've probably only lost about 2 pints."

"Don't talk, lay still," JJ whispered. Reid managed to nod in agreement, although it made him feel very lightheaded.

"Hotch was stabbed," Reid muttered.

"It's okay. Emily's with him," JJ replied.

"I think it was Foyet. I think Hotch was taken by Foyet." His voice was disorientated and weak but Reid still seemed to want to talk about Hotch. "We need to get to Foyet before he hurts Hotch again."

"Don't worry." Reid nodded, his breathing rapid. He closed his eyes finally; comforted by his friend.


	8. Blood Bath

**08/09:** Where did that phobia begin? Your character meditates upon the root of their biggest fear. (200 words)

* * *

 **Blood Bath | 200 words | Rated K**

The stench of blood filled Reid's nose and turned his stomach. He'd never been a fan of the crime scenes him and his team visited, but the worst ones were always the ones where the victims had lost so much blood that their bodies may as well have been drained. The metallic smell hung so stiffly in the air that Reid felt as though he could taste it.

A flash of red in his mind distracted him from the present. The last time he'd tasted blood, it had been in his own; dripping down from his broken nose to his mouth.

Hankel hadn't wanted to do what he had done – in fact, he had saved Reid in the end – but it didn't stop Reid from the nausea that had entered his body. Didn't stop the nightmares. Didn't stop the dizziness he always felt at crime scenes where victims had bled out.

Reid's phone started to ring – Garcia, probably with the information he'd asked her to get – and relief spread through him. "Excuse me," he muttered to the Uniforms, and to Rossi and Hotch. Almost stumbling out of the door, Reid took a breath before flipping open his phone.

Thank god.


	9. The Shelf

**09/09:** Something's broken and your character doesn't _really_ know how to fix it… but they're going to try anyway. (400 words)

* * *

 **The Shelf | 400 words | Rated K**

The shelf. Reid stared at it, eyes narrowed, arms crossed, mind hard at work. It was at an angle and not the correct one. Not wonky enough for items to fall off of it but wonky enough for Reid to notice. He was going to straighten it. It couldn't be that hard.

Twenty minutes later, and Reid was ready to admit defeat. He had removed and re-fixed the shelf back onto his wall countless times but still, it was at an angle.

How could he, a genius with an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187, be outsmarted by a piece of wood? As he thought this, Reid couldn't help but note that Morgan would definitely have made a joke about that if Reid had said it out loud. "You want me to help?" Morgan asked from his desk.

He had been watching Reid with a hint of amusement on his face since Reid had attempted to straighten the shelf. "No," Reid said. "I'm fine."

"If you say so."

Morgan stood to go get a cup of coffee from the machine and Reid decided to go about this problem in a different way. He had a PhD in Chemistry and Engineering. Fixing a shelf must come under that category of knowledge. Reid took out his notebook.

In the time it took Morgan to make a mug of coffee, Reid had managed to fill 3 and a half pages with various equations that he believed he could use to make the shelf straight. But none of them had worked. Reid was now tapping at the side of his head with a pencil and staring at the shelf again. "What happened to the instructions?" Morgan asked.

Reid shuffled around the paperwork in one of his drawers and revealed it. "It's just pictures of random nonsense," Reid insisted. "It may as well be written in Chinese." He flipped through a couple of pages. "In fact, I think this part is."

Morgan walked over to him. "That's because it's the Chinese part of the manual. There's a different page for each language."

"I knew that," Reid muttered.

"Give me that," Morgan said, motioning at the hammer. Reluctantly, Reid passed it to him and watched in bewilderment as Morgan very easily straightened the shelf.

"I have an IQ of 187," Reid said. Morgan laughed; shaking his head. "I have 3 PhDs!"

"Brains aren't everything, kid."


	10. Waiting Room

**10/09:** In the right context and from the right person, a single touch can mean more than many words. (100 words)

* * *

 **Waiting Room | 100 words | Rated K**

Reid watched JJ out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting by herself in the hospital waiting room, frantically trying to call her husband Will, but not having any luck. Something was wrong with their son and JJ was waiting for all the tests to be done so she could find out what was happening.

Why was she sitting by herself? Where was Will?

Frowning, Reid walked over to JJ and said hello but JJ barely registered his arrival; she just kept trying Will. Reid sat next to her and held her hand. Grateful, JJ tried to smile.

* * *

 **Yes, I know, it's miles past September but I don't like having unfinished stories. I figured I could just keep writing from the prompts, as they're all still up and I found them easily. I'll probably post quite a few today, to be honest.**


	11. The iPad

**11/09:** Something strange just happened. Was it magic, sleight of hand, or a trick of technology? Your character is determined to discover an explanation. (300 words)

* * *

 **The iPad | 300 words | Rated K**

The BAU team were in the middle of a briefing for their next case when Reid cursed and all of the files that they had been reading from disappeared in front of them. "Reid!" Rossi sighed. "What has Garcia told you about fiddling with stuff you don't understand?"

Morgan chuckled at the accidental innuendo as Reid muttered an apology and gave his iPad to Garcia so she could get the documents back. "How did you manage to delete everyone's?" she asked him with a slight shake of the head. Reid shrugged and apologised again.

"Just don't touch, okay?" Emily suggested.

Garcia managed to override whatever Reid had done and get the files back in front of everyone. "What I don't understand is how you can be so smart and yet so clueless about technology," Morgan asked.

Reid took his iPad back from Garcia. "I just prefer paper," he shrugged. "I don't understand this new obsession the FBI has with using computers all the time."

"It's called staying up-to-date with the rest of society, kid," Morgan laughed.

"Yeah, well," Reid scoffed. "Oh, for god's sake!" he said loudly just as JJ had started to speak about the case again. He had somehow managed to delete the files again; luckily, just the ones on his iPad this time.

"Reid," Rossi snapped impatiently. "Don't touch!"

Garcia stood up, taking Reid's iPad off his desk. "It wasn't me that time! I barely touched the stupid thing!" he argued.

"Doesn't matter how 'barely' you touch the delete button, it will still work," Garcia smiled. "I think I'm just gonna go and print these out for Mr 1920s over here," she offered. Rossi nodded gratefully and then proceeded to lecture Reid about wasting time.

"Maybe Reid should stick to paper files from now on?" Emily laughed.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know it doesn't completely fit the prompt but I think it works well for Reid's character.


	12. Derek Morgan's Tips & Tricks

**12/09:** Figuratively or literally, these characters are speaking different languages. How will they communicate? (400 words)

* * *

 **Derek Morgan's Tips & Tricks | 407 words | Rated K**

"But that doesn't make any sense," Reid argued. "Why would I want to _tap_ any part of a woman's body?"

Morgan sighed in annoyance. The pair of them were in the break room waiting for JJ to call them in for their next briefing and Morgan had just discovered that Reid had asked JJ on a date to a football game. He was now attempting to give him some advice about what to say to her and how to get JJ to maybe like him back. But he hadn't even properly started yet and Reid was already getting on his nerves. "Look, it's just another word for touch... or, say like, you want to _sleep_ with –"

"Sleep?" Reid gasped. "JJ never mentioned she was gonna stay over. I haven't washed my sheets in over a week." He looked concerned. "Do you think she'll notice?"

"Well kid, if you manage to get JJ into your bedsheets, I can tell you, I'd be very surprised," Morgan replied. "Especially with that level of concern about your sheets. Now, back to tapping –"

"Touching," Reid cut in. "You said it meant touching."

"Yeah, Reid – it's the same thing." Morgan was just glad he had started off by saying 'tap' instead of 'hit' because no doubt Reid would have been concerned about JJ's safety if hitting had been involved.

"Why have a different name then?"

Morgan rolled his eyes impatiently. "Reid, if you're gonna nit-pick..."

"Sorry. I'll stop now," he agreed. "Carry on."

"Look," Morgan tried again. "Just start by asking how her day was –"

"But I'll know how her day was," Reid interrupted. "We work together."

"God, Reid," Morgan muttered. "You won't know how she felt about her day, though, will you?" Reid went to argue but Morgan continued speaking before he got the chance. "So, ask her about her day, then ask the lady what she'd like to drink."

Reid nodded, jotting it down in his notebook. "That's simple enough. 'Hello JJ, how was your day? What sort of drink would you like?' Is that really –"

"Coffee would be great, thanks, Reid," JJ said from behind them. Reid turned in his chair, stumbling over his words. "I'm just kidding," she laughed. "But break's over – Garcia's got all the files ready for the next case."

JJ walked back out of the break room and Reid deflated, putting his head on his hands. "Nice try, kid," Morgan chuckled.

* * *

 **I immediately thought about Morgan and Reid when I read this prompt so couldn't resist.**


	13. Kill It With Words

**13/09:** Anything can be a weapon if you put your mind to it. Your character is going into a fight armed with the first thing they can lay their hands on. (300 words)

* * *

 **Kill It With Words | 308 words | Rated K**

The shattering of a plate one floor down put Reid on full alert. Panicked, he grabbed the book he had been reading earlier that night from his bedside table: _The Book of Margery Kempe_. Reid was annoyed at himself for leaving his gun back at the Bureau by accident but this would have to do.

It _was_ nearly 500 pages.

Reid crept as quietly as he could down his stairs; book held above his head with both hands, ready to attack anyone that appeared in front of him.

Whoever was downstairs was not taking any care to be quiet and make sure Reid didn't hear them; which seemed odd. Reid wondered if maybe he should have called for backup, rather than going downstairs armed with only a soft covered version of his mother's favourite book.

But it was too late for that – Reid had committed and now he was the full way down the stairs. The noise was coming from the kitchen – was that the _microwave on_? Why did the intruder need to use the microwave?

Reid pushed open the kitchen door and stopped dead in his tracks. "Emily?"

"Reid, what are you doing with that book?" Emily laughed.

"I... I thought you were an intruder," Reid said, putting the book on the table. "What are you doing at my house? It's gone midnight."

"Sorry, I got caught up with paperwork at the office," she replied.

"But why..." Reid trailed off.

"Spencer, my apartment is getting fumigated. You said I could stay in your spare room, remember?" Emily said.

Everything came rushing back to Reid. "Oh!" he said. "Oh, god, yeah. Sorry, Emily – it completely slipped my mind. You just freaked me out, that's all." Emily glanced at Reid and looked concerned. It wasn't like him to forget something

"You alright, Spence?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course."


	14. Sight Unseen

**14/09:** Your character has changed something dramatic about their appearance, but no one seems to notice. It's driving them crazy! (400 words)

* * *

 **Sight Unseen | 413 words | Rated K**

Spencer couldn't help but admire his reflection as he walked past the cars in the parking lot on his way into the Bureau building. He had gone to the opticians the other week and picked out a new pair of reading glasses, which had finally been ready to collect yesterday. He had rushed over after work and when he'd seen them and put them on, couldn't wait to see the faces of all his colleagues.

They were stylish.

All his colleagues, Morgan especially, continually made fun of his dress sense and the fact that it went out of style a century ago. But these glasses were fashionable. Something from this century. This _decade_ even.

Smiling to himself, Spencer walked confidently into the building and made his way to his desk. On his way up, he passed Morgan, JJ and Hotch, making a point of staring at them, but none of them noticed his new glasses. Reid sat at his desk and frowned. Why hadn't they noticed them? They were obviously new, right? They were stylish! They should have been noticed, especially on Spencer's face.

Reid took them off and put them away. They weren't supposed to be used as long-distance glasses and now, not only had they gone unnoticed, but they had also given him a headache.

An hour or two passed with Reid wearing his new glasses and no one commenting on them, until finally! JJ was walking towards his desk. He made sure to straighten them up and smiled at JJ as she spoke. "Hey, Reid," she said, looking slightly wary at the face he was pulling. "Got a new case for you. Meeting in 10 minutes?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure, JJ, see you in there," Reid stumbled over his words, flabbergasted that even close up, JJ hadn't noticed his glasses.

After 12 minutes, Reid stood up and made a point of entering the meeting room late. Garcia and Emily smiled in greeting, Hotch looked annoyed that he was late. But no one noticed his new glasses! "Guys, for goodness sakes!" he snapped, not being able to hold in his frustration any longer. "Are you all _blind_?"

"What's up kid?" Morgan asked nonchalantly.

"I have _new glasses_!" Reid said, putting emphasis on every word and pausing between each one. Everyone in the room, including Hotch and Rossi, burst into laughter. "What?" Reid asked. "What's so funny?!" he snapped when no one spoke.

"We noticed Spencer," Emily grinned. "We were just teasing you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review if you enjoyed :)


	15. Let's Get Chinese

**15/09:** How nice. Someone has made a meal for their friend/friends. But is it edible? (200 words)

* * *

 **Let's Get Chinese | 200 words | Rated K**

As Reid put down the large serving dish of casserole in front of everyone, they all stared at it. It was an off-grey colour with unknown lumps of different sizes and shapes; none of which looked like edible pieces of food. "You know, I really fancy Chinese," Morgan suggested. The others nodded.

"Seriously guys?" Reid said. "I spent hours making this."

"It shows," Emily said, smiling uncertainly. It did show. It looked as though the entire thing had been cooked for eternity.

Reid looked expectantly at them all. JJ started the chain, by piling a couple of pieces of what she guessed was chicken onto her plate. She took a hesitant bite. "Yum," she said unconvincingly.

But Reid seemed to believe her and soon all his guests were helping themselves. Morgan, who didn't much like casserole, and Hotch, who was used to fine dining, picked at what was on their plate but barely put a morsel into their mouths. Once Reid was certain that everyone was enjoying their meal, he served himself a portion.

He took a big lump of what he was sure was the chicken he'd slaved over all afternoon and chewed. He stopped chewing. "Let's get Chinese."

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review with your thoughts :)


	16. Guilty Conscience

**16/09:** It's been a long time since your characters have seen one another, and this reunion is a difficult one to process. (500 words)

* * *

 **Guilty Conscience | 560 words | Rated K**

20-year-old Spencer Reid felt guilty. His mother, who had always been difficult but had always been loving and supportive, did not deserve this treatment and definitely did not deserve Spencer as a son. He should never have put her in here. It was nice enough, sure, but no loving mother deserved to be tossed aside at the first possible chance.

That's what Spencer had done. At least, that's what he _felt_ he had done to his mother when he'd signed the papers and walked out of the same door two years ago that he was standing in front of now.

He should have come back. If not to bring her home, at least to see how she was doing. At least to talk about the things she loved or let her read to him like she always had, on her good days. Spencer finally mustered up the courage to let himself into the building that he had dumped his mother into. The smell hit him first. It was sweet, flowery almost. Homely. It didn't smell like a hospital, as he had felt it did 2 years ago. This fact made his heart soar. Maybe she didn't hate it here?

"How can I help you, sir?" Spencer had made his way to the front desk without realising he was even moving his feet. "Sir?"

"Hello. I'm here to visit, um... Diana Reid? She's a patient here. Schizophrenia Ward." His mother – his poor mom, who had always trusted the Spencer would make the right choices in life – was stuck in this place, on the Schizophrenia ward, because of one selfish decision.

"Relation to the patient?" the receptionist asked.

Spencer, who had always been so sure of his answers to everything, had to clear his throat twice before he could get the words out. "I'm her son." _Her shitty son. Her absent son. A son just like her ex-husband._

"Does she know you're visiting?"

"No," Spencer said quickly. "It's a surprise."

The receptionist smiled brightly. "Oh, that will be lovely," she gushed. "Diana loves surprises and she absolutely loves you, if the amount she talks about you is anything to go by." Spencer wanted to shout at her – they should not be encouraging her to remember her pathetic excuse for a son. But, instead, he smiled. "I'll just call someone down to bring you to her."

 **. . .**

"Mrs Reid? You have a visitor," the orderly smiled at Spencer and then left the room. Diana turned around in her chair, which was facing the window and saw who her visitor was.

"Spencer?" she gasped, her hand at her heart. "Oh! Spencer! You came."

Spencer felt his ribs ache from the guilt he held. She was so happy to see him; so easily forgiving. Why had he done this to her? This would give her false hope that he was bringing her home. "Hi, mom."

Diana rushed to him and hugged her son tightly. Oh, how she had missed him. "How are you? I've been keeping up with all your work – you're so _busy_. I didn't know you were coming to see me," she said as she hugged Spencer. Spencer breathed in deeply, comforted by the familiar smell he had grown up with. He wrapped his arms around his mom and leant his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

* * *

 **Please review with your thoughts :)**


End file.
